Location: 12 Rue du President Franklin Roosevelt
Tel. +33 326 47 84 19
The Reddition Museum is a history museum founded by the city of
Reims in 1985 on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the
signing, on May 7, 1945 at 2:41 a.m., of the first part of the acts
of capitulation of the Nazi Germany (a second signing took place the
next day in Berlin) that ended World War II in the European theater.
It is located in part of the premises of the Franklin-Roosevelt
high school in Reims (Marne, Champagne-Ardenne, France) where this
signature took place. The May 7, 1945 surrender room located in the
building has been classified as a historical monument since December
31, 1985.
The Musée de la Reddition, also known as the Museum of the Surrender,
is a historical site and museum located in Reims, France, at 12 rue
Franklin Roosevelt. It preserves the exact location where the German
High Command signed the unconditional surrender of all German forces on
May 7, 1945, effectively ending World War II in Europe. The building,
originally the Franklin Roosevelt School (a former technical college),
served as the Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force (SHAEF)
under U.S. General Dwight D. Eisenhower during the final months of the
war. This event marked the first formal surrender of the Third Reich,
though a more ceremonial ratification followed in Berlin the next day.
The museum itself was established in 1985 to commemorate the 40th
anniversary of the surrender, expanding beyond just the preserved war
room to include exhibits on the broader context of WWII in France and
Reims. It was declared a National Monument shortly after the war, but
for decades, only the war room was open to visitors. The full museum
opened to provide a more comprehensive educational experience, focusing
on artifacts, uniforms, and documents that illustrate the lead-up to and
aftermath of the surrender.
Historical Context Leading to the
Surrender
The roots of the museum's significance trace back to the
final stages of World War II in Europe. By early 1945, Allied forces had
liberated much of Western Europe following the D-Day landings on June 6,
1944. Reims, a city in the Champagne region with a rich history
(including its famous cathedral where French kings were crowned), became
strategically important due to its proximity to the front lines and
transportation links.
In February 1945, SHAEF relocated its
headquarters to the Franklin Roosevelt School in Reims, chosen for its
location near the train station, which facilitated coordination of the
final assault against Nazi Germany. The city had suffered during the
war: it was occupied by German forces from 1940 to 1944, and parts of it
were damaged by Allied bombings. However, its role in the war's end
elevated its historical profile.
Adolf Hitler's suicide on April 30,
1945, in Berlin created a power vacuum, leading to partial surrenders in
various regions. German forces in Italy surrendered on May 2, followed
by those in Austria and parts of Germany on May 4–5. These piecemeal
capitulations raised concerns among the Allies, particularly the
Soviets, who feared a separate peace deal that might exclude them. A
general, unconditional surrender was thus essential to unify the end of
hostilities and prevent post-war myths, such as the "stab-in-the-back"
narrative that plagued Germany after World War I.
The surrender
document had been in preparation since mid-1944 and was refined at the
Yalta Conference in February 1945, where Allied leaders (Winston
Churchill, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Joseph Stalin) agreed on terms. It
required surrender by military leaders to all Allied powers
simultaneously.
The Events of May 7, 1945: The Signing in Reims
On May 6, 1945, German Admiral Karl Dönitz, Hitler's successor,
authorized General Alfred Jodl, Chief of the Operations Staff of the
German Armed Forces High Command, to negotiate surrender terms. Jodl
arrived in Reims and requested a 48-hour delay to inform scattered
German units, but Eisenhower refused, threatening to resume full-scale
bombings and seal the Western Front to prevent German retreats from the
East.
The signing occurred in the SHAEF war room (Salle de la
Signature) at 2:41 a.m. on May 7, 1945. Jodl signed the Instrument of
Surrender on behalf of the German High Command, with witnesses from the
United States, the Soviet Union (General Ivan Susloparov), France, and
other Allies present. The document declared the unconditional surrender
of all German land, sea, and air forces to the Allied Expeditionary
Force and simultaneously to the Soviet High Command. It took effect at
11:01 p.m. Central European Time on May 8, 1945.
The ceremony was
understated compared to the more formal one in Berlin on May 8
(backdated to align with Reims), where Field Marshal Wilhelm Keitel
signed a ratification at Karlshorst in the presence of Soviet Marshal
Georgy Zhukov. The time difference explains why Victory in Europe (VE)
Day is celebrated on May 8 in Western countries and May 9 in Russia and
former Soviet states. An additional protocol in Reims allowed for the
Berlin ratification to ensure Soviet satisfaction.
The surrender was
announced publicly on May 8 at 3 p.m. in Allied capitals, sparking
worldwide celebrations. However, fighting continued briefly in some
areas until German units received orders.
Post-War Developments
and Establishment of the Museum
Immediately after the war, in July
1945, the U.S. Army handed the keys to the war room back to the city of
Reims, which opened it to the public as a historical site. For the next
40 years, visitors could tour the preserved room, but no full museum
existed.
In 1985, to mark the 40th anniversary, the city expanded the
site into the Musée de la Reddition, incorporating additional exhibits
to contextualize the event. This decision transformed it from a
single-room memorial into a comprehensive museum. In 2005, further
renovations enhanced its displays, though one source notes the
conversion in 2005, which may refer to updates rather than the initial
opening.
Museum Contents and Exhibits
The museum's centerpiece
is the preserved war room, separated by Perspex panels for protection.
It features the original wooden table where the surrender was signed
(notably bare except for ashtrays, one of which was returned by a
veteran after 50 years), chairs labeled with the names of key figures
(e.g., Jodl, Eisenhower's chief of staff Walter Bedell Smith), and walls
covered in wartime maps showing Allied advances.
Upstairs
exhibits include:
An introductory film on the surrender and Reims'
role.
Over 50 authentic mannequins in WWII uniforms, representing
figures from both sides, including an African American soldier from the
Red Ball Express logistics unit.
Artifacts such as sheets from the
Instrument of Surrender, a 1977 note from Dönitz authorizing Jodl's
signature, a Nazi flag stolen in 1941 by French resisters, wreckage from
a French fighter plane, a German fuel tank misleadingly marked "keine
Bombe" (not a bomb), and the original keys to the war room.
Displays
on the French Resistance, D-Day, the liberation of France, and models of
warships, planes, and vehicles.
Glass cabinets with text-photo
panels, primarily in French with English translations available.
The museum emphasizes the months preceding the surrender through
archives, photographs, weapons, and personal items, bringing the era to
life. It flies flags of the UK, US, France, and USSR outside,
symbolizing the Allied coalition.
Current Status and Significance
Today, the museum is open Wednesday to Monday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
(closed Tuesdays and major holidays), with admission around 5 EUR. It
attracts visitors interested in WWII history, requiring about an hour to
explore. Its significance lies in commemorating a pivotal moment that
ended the European theater of WWII, highlighting the understated Reims
signing versus the grander Berlin event. Recent commemorations, such as
the 80th anniversary in 2025, include tributes and events emphasizing
remembrance.
The Musée de la Reddition stands as a testament to the
fragility of peace and the collaborative effort that defeated fascism,
offering an artifact-focused, visually engaging look at history without
delving deeply into broader WWII narratives, distinguishing it from
larger museums like its Berlin counterpart.
A ground floor room presents a film with period images, which gives
the historical context, the actors of the signature. The film is
available in French, German, English and Russian
Another room
presents costumes and information on the units present in Reims (FFI,
English airmen, German airmen and a few minor objects).
A third
room features members of the Allied General Staff, with an exhibition of
medals and newspapers from May 8, 1945.
And finally the war room,
presented as it was at the time, with the maps of the operations of May
7, 1945 and photographs of the actors of this memorable day.